Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 7, ETM-GOA

F L I r 298 ] F L O
Mendip, there is a fubltance which flie* away in the
fmoke, which they call the flight. They find it fweet-
ifh upon their lips, if their faces happen to be in the
■way of the fmoke, which they avoid as much as pof-
fible. This, falling on the grafs, kills cattle that feed
thereon ; and, being gathered, and carried home, kills
rats and mice in their houfes t that which falls on the
fand, they gather, and melt upon a flag-heat th into
fltot and fheet-lead.
FLINT, in patural hiftory, a kind of femitranfpa-
rent or quite opaque ftones; generally of a roundifli
form, and covered with white cruft; of a fmooth, uni¬
form, (hining texture; fo hard, that they will ftrike fire
with fteel; calcinable by fire, after which they become
white, friable, and, according to Henckel, heavier
than before, and folufcle by acids; vitrifiable only by
the very violent heat of the largeft fpeculums, fuch as
that of Villette, and not even by the focus of one of
Tfchirnhaufen’s letifes, according to an experiment of
Neumann. They are found generally in beds of chalk
and of fand ; but never forming entire ftrata of rock
as jafper does. By long expofure to air and the fun,
they feem to decay, to lofe their luftre, their firmnefs
of texture, and to be changed to a white calcareous
earth or chalk. Hence they are almoft always found
covered with a white chalky cruft. They are alfo con¬
vertible into a calcareous earth by fufion, or vitrirication
with fo much fixed alkali that they {hall refolve into a
liquid mafs called the liquamen or oil of flints, and by
precipitation from the fixed alkali by means of acids,
idee Chemistry, n0 1069.
This genus of ftones, or filiceous earths, Cronftedt
confiders as of an intermediate nature between the
quartz and jafper; both of which it fo nearly refembles,
that it is difficult to diftinguiflt them. Our author
chara&erifes it in the following manner : 1. It is more
uniformly folid and not fo much cracked in the mafs
as quartz, but more pellucid than the jafper. 2. It
beats the air better than the jafper, but worfe than the
quartz. 3. For the purpofe of glafs-making it is bet¬
ter than jafper, but not quite fo good as quartz.
4. Whenever it has had an opportunity of (hooting in¬
to cryftals, thofe of quartz are always found in it; as
if the quartz made one of its conftituent parts, and
had been fqueezed out of it. This may be feen in
every hollow flint and its clefts, which are always filled
up with quartz. 5. It often (hows moft evident marks
of having been originally in a foft and (limy tough
ftate like jelly.—To thefe properties the following are
added by other authors. 7. When broken, it is fcaly,
generally unequal, and cracks into thin lamellae. 8. In
a calcining heat it becomes opaque, white, and milky.
Breaking of Flints. The art of cutting, or rather
breaking, flint ftones into uniform figures, is by fome
fuppofed to be one of the arts now loft. That it was
known formerly, appears from the ancient Bridewell
at Norwich, from the 'gate of the Auguftin friars at
Canterbury, that of St John’s Abbey at Colehefter,
and the gate near Whitehall, Weftminfter. But that
the art is not loft, and that the French know it, appears
from the platform on the top of the royal obfervatory
at Paris; which, inftead of being leaded, is paved with
flint cut or broken into regular figures. But we know
aot that this art hath been any where deferibed.
Flints, in the glafs trade. The way of preparing
flints for the niceft operations in the glafs-trade is this. Flint
Choofe the hardeft flints, fuch as are black and will 1)
refill the file, and will grow white when calcined in Float
the fire. Cleanfe thefe of the white cruft that adheres *
to them, then calcine them in a ftrong fire, and throw
them while red-hot into cold water ; vvafh off the aflies
that may adhere to them, and powder them in an iron
mortar, and fift them through a very fine fieve ; pour
upon this powder fome weak aquafortis, or the phlegm
of aquafortis, to diffolve and take up any particles of
iron it may kav£ got from the mortar ; ftir this mix¬
ture feveral times, then let it reft, and in the morning
pour off the liquor, and wafli the powder feveral times
with hot water, and afterwards dry at for ufe. You
will thus have a powder for making the pureft glafs as
perfectly fine and fauhlefs as if'you had ufed rock-
cryftal itfelf.
The waffling off theTerrugineous particles with aqua¬
fortis is not neceffary when the glafs intended to be
made is to be tinged with iron afterwards ; but when
meant to be a pure white, this is the method that will
fee u re fuccefs.
' Flint, the chieftown of Flintfnire, in North Wales.
It is commodioufly feated on the river Dee ; and is
but a fmall place, though it fends one member to par¬
liament. It was formerly noted for its caftle, where
Richard II. took (belter on his arrival from Ireland ;
but having quitted it, he was taken prifoner by the
duke of Lancafter. The caftle now is in a ruinous
condition. This caftle (lands clofe to the fea on a
rock, which in various parts forms feveral feet of its
foundation. It covers about three quarters of an acre.
The affixes are dill held in the town. It is 195 miles
north-weft of London.
FLINTSHIRE, a county of Wales, bounded on
the north-eaft and call by an arm of the fea, which is
properly the mouth of the river Dee ; on the north-weft
by the Iriffi Sea ; and on the fouth fouth-weft and weft
by Denbighfliire. It is the lead of all the counties in
Wales, being but 33 miles in length and 9 in breadth.
It is divided into five hundreds ; in which are two
market-towns and 28 pariflies, with 32,400 inhabi¬
tants. The greateft part of this county lies in the
diocefe of St Afaph, and the reft belongs to that of
Chefter. It fends two members to parliament, one
for the county and one for Flint; and pays one part
of the land-tax. The air is cold, but healthful. It is
full of hills, intermixed with a few valleys, which are
very fruitful, producing fome wheat and plenty of rye.
The cows, though fmall, yield a great quantity of
milk in proportion to their fize, and are excellent beef.
The mountains are well fto ed with lead, coal, and
mill-ftones. This county alfo produces good butter,
cheefe, and hooey ; of which laft the natives make me-
theglin, a wholefome liquor much ufed in thefe parts.
FLIP, a fort of Tailors drink, made of malt liquor,
brandy, and fugar, mixed.
FLOAT, a certain quantity of timber bound to¬
gether with rafters athwart, and put into a river to be.
conveyed down the dream ; and even fometimes to
carry burdens down a river with the ftream.
Float-Boards, thofe boards fixed to water-wheels^
of under ffiot-mills, ferving to receive the impulfe of
the ftream, whereby the wheel is carried round. See
the articles Wheel and Mill.
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